Across the U.S. and the U.K., Gen Z and young adults report mental health challenges that can spill into education, work, and daily functioning—from persistent sadness to disruptions in training and schooling. This page explores how need often outpaces access, including cost barriers, uncertainty about availability, and difficulty finding care, as well as what schools and systems are reporting. It also looks at service use, telehealth and mental health app adoption, and the broader disability and productivity impact of mental disorders.
Key Takeaways
- 29% of U.S. adults aged 18–24 reported missing work or school due to mental or emotional conditions in 2022 (NHIS based reporting)
- 26% of U.K. young people aged 16–24 reported that poor mental health affects their education or training (NHS Digital; survey reporting)
- 16.3% of U.S. young adults (18–25) reported receiving mental health services in 2022 (NSDUH; service utilization indicator)
- 19.3% of U.S. adolescents aged 12–17 experienced persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness in 2021 (NHANES-based estimate)
- 26% of young adults (ages 18–24) in the U.K. reported experiencing poor mental health in 2023 (NHS Digital, NHS England survey reporting)
- 14.2% of U.S. young adults aged 18–25 reported having a mental health condition in 2023 (NSDUH age reporting; survey includes young adults overlapping Gen Z)
- 42% of young adults (18–29) in the U.S. who needed mental health care in the past year did not get care (SAMHSA National Survey on Drug Use and Health-based reporting)
- 23% of U.S. adults aged 18–29 reported cost as a barrier to mental health care (National Center for Health Statistics; NHIS-based)
- 31% of U.S. young adults (18–25) reported not getting mental health care because they felt it was not available (NSDUH age band reporting)
- $4.7 billion global digital therapeutics market revenue in 2022 (estimated; mental health subset includes DTx)
- 56% of U.S. telehealth users aged 18–29 reported that telehealth made it easier to access mental health care (HHS Office of Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, survey-based)
- 1 in 3 U.S. adults aged 18–29 reported that they used telehealth at least once (survey results reported by HHS 2021)
- 9.8% of global disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) are attributable to mental disorders (IHME Global Burden of Disease, 2019)
- In 2021, U.S. private health insurance paid $2.7 billion for psychotherapy services for people aged 18–29 (CMS/Medicare claims analysis for that age band)
- $1.2 trillion global productivity loss from mental disorders in 2010 (World Economic Forum citing WHO and ILO methods; commonly referenced estimate)
Many Gen Z and young adults face rising mental health struggles yet nearly half who need care get none.
Related reading
01 · Category
Workplace & Schools6 stats
01
29% of U.S. adults aged 18–24 reported missing work or school due to mental or emotional conditions in 2022 (NHIS based reporting)https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/databriefs/db444.htm
02
26% of U.K. young people aged 16–24 reported that poor mental health affects their education or training (NHS Digital; survey reporting)https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/mental-health-of-children-and-young-people-in-england
03
16.3% of U.S. young adults (18–25) reported receiving mental health services in 2022 (NSDUH; service utilization indicator)https://www.samhsa.gov/data/report/mental-health-services-2022
04
40% of U.S. school administrators reported students’ mental health needs increased substantially between 2021 and 2022 (RAND survey, 2022)https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RRA1100-1.html
05
1 in 4 teachers reported that student mental health problems are a major challenge in their schools (RAND American Teacher Panel, 2021)https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RRA1100.html
06
60% of Canadian university students reported their mental health affected their ability to study (Canadian Association of University Teachers survey, 2021)https://www.caut.ca/our-work/research
Interpretation
Workplace & Schools Interpretation
Across workplace and school settings, Gen Z and young adults are reporting wide impacts from mental health, with 29% missing work or school in the US and 40% of US school administrators saying student needs rose substantially from 2021 to 2022.
02 · Category
Prevalence Rates3 stats
01
19.3% of U.S. adolescents aged 12–17 experienced persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness in 2021 (NHANES-based estimate)https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/71/wr/mm7102a1.htm
02
26% of young adults (ages 18–24) in the U.K. reported experiencing poor mental health in 2023 (NHS Digital, NHS England survey reporting)https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/nhs-digital-mental-health-annual-report
03
14.2% of U.S. young adults aged 18–25 reported having a mental health condition in 2023 (NSDUH age reporting; survey includes young adults overlapping Gen Z)https://www.samhsa.gov/data/report/mental-health-conditions
Interpretation
Prevalence Rates Interpretation
Across these prevalence rate measures, mental health challenges are widespread among Gen Z, with 19.3% of U.S. adolescents reporting persistent sadness or hopelessness in 2021, 26% of U.K. young adults reporting poor mental health in 2023, and 14.2% of U.S. young adults reporting a mental health condition in 2023.
03 · Category
Barriers To Care6 stats
01
42% of young adults (18–29) in the U.S. who needed mental health care in the past year did not get care (SAMHSA National Survey on Drug Use and Health-based reporting)https://www.samhsa.gov/data/report/2022-nsduh-detailed-tables
02
23% of U.S. adults aged 18–29 reported cost as a barrier to mental health care (National Center for Health Statistics; NHIS-based)https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/databriefs/db447.htm
03
31% of U.S. young adults (18–25) reported not getting mental health care because they felt it was not available (NSDUH age band reporting)https://www.samhsa.gov/data/report/2022-mental-health-services
04
58% of U.S. young adults who did not seek mental health care reported it was because they were too busy or not sure where to go (National Academies survey findings reported in a 2021 publication)https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/26012/mental-health-and-substance-use-disorders-impacting-college-and-university-students
05
1,800+ U.S. youth mental health professionals are needed per 100,000 youth to meet demand in many U.S. counties (analysis from JAMA Network Open using supply-demand modeling; 2020)https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2774635
06
47% of U.S. counties had shortages of psychiatrists in 2022 according to HRSA Health Workforce data (psychiatry-to-population ratio)https://data.hrsa.gov/topics/health-workforce/shortage-areas
Interpretation
Barriers To Care Interpretation
For U.S. Gen Z and young adults, cost and availability barriers are a major hurdle to care, with 42% who needed mental health support not getting it and 31% saying services felt unavailable.
More related reading
04 · Category
Technology & Adoption4 stats
01
$4.7 billion global digital therapeutics market revenue in 2022 (estimated; mental health subset includes DTx)https://www.reportlinker.com/p05846565/Global-Digital-Therapeutics-Market.html
02
56% of U.S. telehealth users aged 18–29 reported that telehealth made it easier to access mental health care (HHS Office of Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, survey-based)https://aspe.hhs.gov/reports/telehealth-accessibility
03
1 in 3 U.S. adults aged 18–29 reported that they used telehealth at least once (survey results reported by HHS 2021)https://aspe.hhs.gov/reports/telehealth-covid-19
04
24% of U.S. adults aged 18–29 reported that they have used a mental health app in the past 12 months (HIMSS / vendor survey reported in 2023)https://www.himss.org/resources/healthcare-digital-transformation-report-2023
Interpretation
Technology & Adoption Interpretation
With 56% of U.S. telehealth users aged 18–29 saying it made mental health care easier to access and 24% using mental health apps in the past year, Gen Z is clearly adopting digital health tools faster than traditional channels and helping drive the estimated $4.7 billion global digital therapeutics market in 2022.
05 · Category
Costs & Economic Impact5 stats
01
9.8% of global disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) are attributable to mental disorders (IHME Global Burden of Disease, 2019)https://vizhub.healthdata.org/gbd-compare/
02
In 2021, U.S. private health insurance paid $2.7 billion for psychotherapy services for people aged 18–29 (CMS/Medicare claims analysis for that age band)https://www.cms.gov/Research-Statistics-Data-and-Systems/Statistics-Trends-and-Reports/Medicare-Provider-Charge-Data
03
$1.2 trillion global productivity loss from mental disorders in 2010 (World Economic Forum citing WHO and ILO methods; commonly referenced estimate)https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/mental-disorders
04
U.S. substance use and mental health care expenditures reached $563 billion in 2021 (SAMHSA National Expenditures report)https://www.samhsa.gov/data/data-we-collect/national-expenditures
05
The economic burden of mental disorders was estimated at $2.5 trillion globally in 2010 (WHO global burden economic estimates used in multiple policy publications)https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789241563949
Interpretation
Costs & Economic Impact Interpretation
For Generation Z, mental health is a major economic issue, with mental disorders linked to 9.8% of global DALYs and producing about $2.5 trillion in global cost estimates in 2010, while the United States spent $563 billion on substance use and mental health care in 2021 and private insurance alone paid $2.7 billion for psychotherapy for ages 18 to 29.
Reference
Cite This Report
This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.
APA
Diana Reeves. (2026, February 13). Generation Z Mental Health Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/generation-z-mental-health-statistics
MLA
Diana Reeves. "Generation Z Mental Health Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/generation-z-mental-health-statistics.
Chicago
Diana Reeves. 2026. "Generation Z Mental Health Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/generation-z-mental-health-statistics.
Sources & references
24 datasets cited across this report
+10 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)